Starting afresh after Brendan Fraser's once-beloved and increasingly sloppy trilogy, and set to launch Universal's Dark Universe franchise – could even Tom Cruise himself breathe life into this ancient, desiccated monster?

The answer, it turns out, is yes. It's not ground-breaking, but The Mummy is a breezy summer blockbuster that could be the start of an entertaining series.

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Nick Morton (Cruise) and Chris Vail (Jake Johnson) are unscrupulous soldier types who supplement their earnings by looting ancient treasures and selling them on the black market.

With archaeologist Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis), they stumble across the tomb of the ancient Egyptian princess Ahmanet, whose name was erased from history after a terrible crime. No surprise that she's soon up and about and attempting to bring a terrible evil into the world with the help of a smelly old army of rotten corpses.

Into that mix comes one Dr Henry Jekyll (Russell Crowe) and his monstrous alter ego Edward Hyde like a scarier Nick Fury, and the scene is set for a multi-film battle against evil creatures that lurk in the shadows.

(We've included a trailer below, but if you haven't watched any of them yet and plan on seeing the film, we'd suggest you skip them, as they spoil several moments that would otherwise have come as a surprise.)

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But for a final-act twist or two, The Mummy largely goes where you think it's going, as does the script. Beyond Morton's struggle to 'be a better man', we don't really get under the skin of the cast. And the ending is more calculated to set up a franchise than offer a rounded conclusion.

Despite that, the movie has a popcorn sensibility that raises it above its shortcomings. It combines a sense of humour (channelling the Fraser films more than you might expect) with moments that are genuinely creepy and unsettling. Crowe provides a delicious helping of ham, and Cruise brings his usual charisma to the mix, almost reaching Jerry Maguire levels at points – though the opportunity for him to cry 'show me the mummy' is tragically squandered.

Kingsman actress Sofia Boutella is a smart choice for Ahmanet, making the most of the dancer-turned-actress's physicality and striking presence. Alas, her prescient backstory of institutionalised sexism doesn't quite carry over to Wallis's role, which too often casts her as a damsel in distress.

The Mummy might not have featured on many 'most anticipated films of 2017' lists, but as an entertaining summer blockbuster, it delivers, and we'll be interested to see where the Dark Universe leads next.